Attack on Titan: Writing Prompt Maddnes
by ArtemisJade
Summary: Erwin and the Veterans of the Survey Corps have a heck of a time helping Levi adjust to military and surface life now that the social cution previously provided by Levi's friends no longer exists. Several writing prompts rolled into one attempt at a short story. Discontinued. Full outline up.
1. Chapter 1

Discontinued story.

Fandom: "Attack on Titan"

Main Characters: Levi and Erwin

Theme: Writing prompts.

Hello,

I made a super challenge mode writing prompt for myself that consisted of about 12 different types of writing prompts rolled into one. I was bored. Over a few days I wrote four chapters (Feb 25-Mar 17, 2016) and never picked it back up. The writing prompts that I can remember are as follows:

Write in a universe you wouldn't normally write.

Use a trope you've never written before.

Avoid overuse of language that would overtly suggest what the trope is while still managing to help the audience come to the proper conclusion.

Write a type of story you've never written before.

The above, plus one more type.

Write about something you've never written about before.

Write from the point of view of the most challenging character will still staying in-character.

Write about a part of the cannon story not originally presented to the audience.

Put a spin on a the trope you chose to write in.

These are the ones I can remember. At the end of the four chapters I wrote I put up an outline of what was going to happen, and then an answer to what these prompts were. See if you can figure it out for yourself while reading the chapters.

There is sex in this, but not explicit. I gloss over the details while still trying to let the reader understand what and why things are happening. I've not written explicit sex into my works before, so forgive me if it comes off awkward :P

Reviews are always fun. Please read and see if you can figure out what is going on before it all gets revealed in the epilogue. I look forward to hearing from you!

Enjoy,

Artemis Jade


	2. Chapter 2

Erwin stared at the hand in front of him, vision blurring with the downward rush of blood. The earth fell out from under him, yet he didn't move.

He wasn't naive enough to think it wasn't possible. Certainly it was. _But to me?_

A deep, ragged breath struggled into his lungs as his face went numb. He reached up and touched his features, felt the caterpillar eyebrows and almost hidden worry lines on his forehead.

 _My nose is cold. My cheeks are cold._ He felt his fingers; they were going cold too.

The dropping sensation that followed the rush of blood took his entire center through the floor. If not for the chair he was firmly seated in all 6 feet and 3 inches of his being would have sprawled gracelessly on the floor.

His stomach twinged in protest of the dropping feeling, hairs on the back of his arms rising in agreement. _We don't like this feeling._ His organs were warm though, almost uncomfortably surrounded by cushions of blood. Squeezed.

Erwin swallowed hard, pulling at the bolo tie at his throat as if it's constriction were causing the issue. The other hand came to rest on his stomach, wondering if this morning he'd finally give in and upchuck his breakfast.

A vibration rattled through the floor. Erwin blinked quickly, looking out of the bay window in front of him and forgetting the dropped book he'd been reaching for when the realization hit him. Sunlight, warm and radiant streamed in at a descending angle that lit half his desk in tones of warm honey.

The vibration rattled his toes again, firmly wedged into his military issue boots. It wasn't unusual to feel things with ones toes, but usually you can't feel them through shoes. The upward rush as his center of gravity acceded again made him consciously glad for the chair. As if he could afford a fall now.

"Come in," he heard himself say, though what that voice sounded like was behind him.

Suddenly people.

Behind his desk with him.

Such a small space for so many people. Erwin was big, but not the biggest man stationed at the Survey Corps headquarters.

 _I can feel my toes._

" _Erwin."_ It was the numbered time that familiar voice said his name that the rushing blood finally cleared from his ears and he heard something other than his own biology recognizing itself.

A deep breath. Hanji knelt on the floor in front of him, a hand over the one on his stomach – _please stay put_ , he begged the contents – while someone else had taken the other. The hand was so recognizable, so familiar Erwin resisted the urge to rub it along his face for comfort. Mike wouldn't stop him, but it would do work on his career as an up-and-comer, not to mention his relationship with Nanaba.

"Erwin." This time it was Mike, the deep baritone of the taller man's voice soothing in a deliberate way. Mike could do vocally what Erwin wouldn't do physically. Mike had never once attempted to domineer Erwin and it made both of them better brothers in arms.

Of course Mike was an anomaly.

Hanji checked his vitals; pulse, pupils, sensitivity to touch, even smell. Erwin tilted his chin to give them better access to his scent, eyes sliding back to the blue sky outside the large window.

 _Why would I do this to myself?_

"Mike... I'm going to be sick."

The trash can found it's way between Erwin's feet in the time it took the contents of his stomach to make their way up his esophagus. Porridge and heavily creamed coffee splattered over crumbled papers in three waves.

Now he was shaking.

"... shock." Hanji was saying. "You're in shock." Their hand was on his back, rubbing between the 3DMG harness and shoulder blades. "Lay down somewhere. I'll go get Commander Shadis."

Hanji stood to leave, and Erwin's hand lashed out to catch that fleeing wrist. "Don't," he said, swallowing as his mouth watered again for another round of vomit. Hanji stayed put, tethered to Erwin by that hand, as he dry vomited saliva into the trash can. Erwin was glad Hanji didn't play by role rules: Shadis was _not_ his top priority right now.

Mike pressed a handkerchief to Erwin's mouth and Erwin takes it, breathing into it and wiping the residue.

A knock on the door.

Erwin's eyes watered with his body forcibly expelling it's contents and scent selling him out. He knew who it was and didn't want that one – anyone – to see this. _I can only care about me right now._

Mike, in that way of his which had no words, silently asked for orders. Erwin released his hand. Mike nodded. Stood. Went to the door. Said a few words. Came back.

"He's gone."

Erwin nodded. The tears were wet, large, stuck to his lower eyelids and lashes when he blinked. His vision literally swam. Yet they weren't moving. Hanji practically melted in sympathy, going back to their knees and rubbing Erwin's shoulders once more. Both Mike and Hanji smelled of distress and concern. Neither of them pushed the seated man to do anything right now, and thankfully neither of them tried to scent-trick him out of what his body was doing.

Not that Hanji would but Mike was such a pro at scent tricking he hardly ever had to talk to convey his mood or change someone else's. The man was walking aromatherapy for the distressed, angry, and love-struck when he wanted to be. A reliable and dependable skill which made him an excellent leader, if a bit quiet otherwise.

Erwin tried to stand, to head for the couch that lined one wall of his tiny office, and practically fell on Mike when his numbed extremities refused to move as fast as his momentum. Hanji caught him, pulled an arm around their narrower shoulders and hauled him to the couch. For all that Hanji was not tiny, they were not large either. Their physical strength came from literally wrestling titans; the reminder of which made Erwin feel not so bad for nearly squashing them sitting down.

Mike immediately began stripping his boots as Hanji unclasped the more restricting harness buckles. Erwin eased back, arm over his eyes while the other hand completely removed the bolo tie and let it drop to the floor. Tell tale.

 _Some things are more important._

A knock on the door.

Hanji looked at Mike looked at Erwin looked at Mike – Mike got up and went to the door.

They were close this time so the other's voice was more clear, even if it were muffled by 6 feet and four inches of Mike's gargantuan height.

The other person, a man, was saying, "... trash can liner. Disgusting."

Erwin groaned. Yes, he didn't use any type of trash can liner. All he'd ever thrown away were papers. Wet contents had their own disposal area to cut down on mold and flies. Especially with newly acquired recruit Levi's penchant for refusing to do work unless the areas he were working in were clean top to bottom. That meant people who had their own offices had quickly gotten used to not throwing away wet things in dry-trash-only cans. That is, unless they didn't mind meetings with Levi turning into non-stop commenting on how even people in the Underground can manage to keep trash from molding.

Erwin felt sorry for whatever cadet would be cleaning out his trash can latter.

Mike closed the door again. Erwin lifted his arm just to double check Levi hadn't been let in, then lowered it when Mike was obviously alone. He would have smelled if Levi had gotten in, but visual double-checks were never wasted effort. He didn't want anyone in. Not clean-freak Levi, not Commander of the Survey Corps Shadis, not even Nanaba, whom he knew was standing outside since Mike arrived, and warding others away.

Another oddity of the Survey Corpse, that one.

Mike turned from locking the door and placed a small tray on the floor beside Erwin. The smell of mint tea filled the space, and under that warm rice. Just plain, bland, warm rice.

 _Levi..._ Erwin sat up enough to take the cup of tea and prop it under his nose, letting the too-hot-to-drink-yet steam fill his sinus cavities. His stomach flopped in protest at the abrupt change of scent-scenery. Erwin burped, wondering if he'd left the trash can behind too soon.

Hanji reached over and pinched his nose. Mike looked surprised, half reaching for their hand to pull it away. You didn't put your hands on someone else's... ah, like it matters now?

"Breathe through your mouth. You're stomach won't be as startled. You're sense of smell is going to drive you nuts now. Don't overwhelm it so suddenly."

 _You'd know?_

Of course Hanji would know. What didn't Hanji know? _How to bathe._

Mike pulled back to a respectable distance, almost actively calling his own personal scent back. Hanji made no move to do the same. Erwin opened his mouth and breathed the steaming mint fragrance over what amounted to a Jacob's organ. His stomach fluttered, but settled.

Erwin relaxed. Mike leaned back in. He picked up the bowl of rice and poked at it, checking for surprises. When he only found some steamed vegetables at the bottom he handed it over.

Hanji sniffed it in approval. "I think he likes you."

Mike huffed out a laugh. There goes Hanji again, always ignoring the bad in favor of any sliver of good.

Erwin and Levi weren't on the best of terms, everyone knew. Erwin came back from the last mission with deep lacerations to his left hand that could only have come from the flesh paring blades. Since the incident hadn't gone into the medical reports, it was obviously a deliberate attack from another Scout that Erwin covered. Everyone talked to everyone and no one fessed up. In the end Erwin had to admit to Commander Shadis that Levi, in a fit of grief over losing his pair-bonded pack, lashed out at someone he wasn't naturally inclined to take orders from. Shadis let the incident slide as far as official punishment went, but switched Levi to Erwin's squad so the "angry mutt" could "get used to it".

Commander Shadis' double edged sense of compassion hit everyone equally. The edged that hit Erwin a few nights after the mission led to the current situation.

Erwin managed a few bites of the rice and half the cup of tea. Mike's presence soothed him as it usually did when he was upset. Not anything the other man did with scent or sound, but just accessing that Erwin was upset, didn't want to be by himself, and stayed.

What Erwin didn't finish Hanji did, savoring the crisp crunch of fresh cooked vegetables. Mike finished off the tea. Food sharing was second nature to Survey Corps veterans. If you didn't eat something then you gave it to someone who would. Nothing with nutritional value went to waste. Double if it had never been frozen, dehydrated, salt cured or vacuum packed.

"You know," Hanji said near the end of the bowl, "I'm beginning to think Levi shows his affection through food." Leave it to Hanji to observe and conclude.

Mike let out a disbelieving scent. Erwin subtly breathed it in. Not because of the scent itself but because Mike is one of those people who can ground the kind of person Erwin is with scent alone. They did it without speaking.

"Really!" Hanji said, "He made you tea. For an upset stomach. He brought you bland food. With fresh vegetables. When's the last time you saw a fresh vegetable that wasn't feral radishes that grow in that abandoned garden just outside the wall?"

Before Erwin could formulate a response Mike snapped a scent response that accused Hanji of irresponsibility. One corner of Erwin's mouth came up. No doubt Mike was remembering Hanji coming to a full stop between abandoned buildings and actually _getting off their horse_ to collect "wild radish samples". Nanaba took down two five meter titans while Mike literally tied Hanji back to their saddle and spanked the horse with the flat of a blade to get it moving again.

 _Speaking of Mike's other half_. "Ah, Mike. You can let Nanaba in." _She'll known by the end of the day anyway._ His mood had shifted, wanting to pull his community around him for comfort; those that don't die easily, at least.

Mike stood, collected the dishes onto the tray and dropped it off outside the door. He brought back a distraught Nanaba in their stead. She came with more food. A second tray had another cup of almost cold green tea and a fresh fruit salad.

He eyes were spooked, like she'd seen a ghost. "He was... nice."

A shiver ran down Erwin's spine. _Levi's making me food._

Hanji beamed, "Yep. He shows his affection through food." It was both a confirmation of the hypothesis to Erwin and Mike, and an introduction to said hypothesis for the blonde with the boy cut.

"Affection? You mean that look on his face that says _I don't want to maim you today_ is affection?"

Mike scent-agreed with his mate. He handed Erwin the cup of tea and ate half the fruit salad before passing the bowl over to it's intended person. Anyone else would have scowled, but it was Mike once again checking to make sure nothing lurked in the depths of jewel toned chunks of sweetness. There hadn't been a lot in the bowl, once again showing Levi didn't know the unspoken veteran rules yet: if you make something for someone they will share it, so plan to make a lot of it.

"He's got murder in his eyes every time someone mentions Erwin." Nanaba reached over and plucked out something that looked like a cherry, then a piece of apple with the other hand when the cherry was only halfway to her mouth. "I don't trust him as far as I can throw him, and considering how much he weighs, that's a very short distance."

"So..." Mike started, then stopped, considering his words carefully, "Does this mean he's bonding? Finally?"

Erwin stopped with his hand halfway to his mouth. A wedge of orange – his favorite – hung in the air. "Perhaps. It's only been two months since he lost his pack mates. I peg him for a slow-burn kind of relationship builder. This isn't any different. Types like him – even as atypical as he is – are not loners. They build packs on instinct. It'll come in time." Erwin sounded confident. He was, for the most part. Levi was essential to humanity's future, to freeing them of the Walls.

The Walls.

Humanity was still trapped behind the Wall.

 _What the hell is this going to do to our chances of getting free of these damned Walls?_

Nanaba and Mike both sensed the sudden change in Erwin and gave each other a knowing look.

"Erwin," Nanaba knelt down next to the squad leader's long legs, making herself smaller than the seated-cause-I'm-sick man. "Forget Levi. He's not going anywhere as long as we give him access to an endless supply of titans to kill. If hearing you vomit finally produces some protect-and-serve in the form of fruit salad then good for him. Walls know we've been putting up with his crassness for four months now and I'm this close to forcibly pulling that stick out of his ass. If this is his way of coming off that high horse then I encourage it. In the meantime, forget him. Worry about you. Do you need vitamins? I have vitamins. Do you need hot baths? I have a bath tub. Do you need water proof trash can liners? I know a guy." That guy was probably Levi.

Even without being told Nanaba had picked up on it. After all, she'd probably heard his coffee splashing into the trash can from halfway down the hall. Her hearing may not be on par with Mike's super sensitive nose, but it was good enough to catch conversations in the next room or through closed doors.

Erwin tried to smile but it was fake and they all saw it. "Rest, for now. My stomach is still flipping. I'll be fine." He handed the mostly empty mug to Hanji, who finished it off in one swallow. Fishing out the last orange wedge from the now empty bowl he handed it back to Nanaba. She took the dishes and her bond-mate and left, but not before giving Erwin a shallow hug that lasted a second longer than normal.

Laying back on the couch Erwin draped his arm across his eyes again. _He's making me food._

"Stop thinking about Levi." Hanji scooped Erwin's legs up and laid them across their lap as they sat down. Having another person present – even though it wasn't someone as obvious about their place in the biological hierarchy as Mike – still soothed Erwin.

 _He made me tea. Two cups_. When Erwin spoke his voice sounded normal enough that those who didn't know him wouldn't be able to tell he felt ill. "If he bonds through food, what does that mean?"

"He starved himself for years to feed Isabel and Farland. I'm sure that's why he's so small. One way or another a type like him will accept new bond-mates. Apparently he's got a soft spot for people who are sick?"

"If that were true he's have more than a mediocre understanding of field medicine. He actively avoids the wounded, and I doubt it's because of how 'disgusting' gut wounds are."

"Ah," Hanji said while running a hand up the tall man's shin, "You're using Levi as a distraction. He's not remotely interesting to you right now, but you've latched onto his social quandaries as a way to not think about the fact that – Well, it's quite understandable why you wouldn't let me inform Commander Shadid."

"I'll tell Commander Shadis when I'm good and ready." Erwin's stubborn voice broached no disagreement. Hanji put their hands up in silent defeat.

"Get some rest. Process your emotions. Hey, you color is returning." Hanji smiled sweetly, picked Erwin's legs up to move out from under them and placed them back down. "I'll go grab you a blanket. You're cold from the shock. And don't worry, Nanaba's back outside the door stopping anyone from bothering you. Mike's going to bring you lunch."

Not that Mike said that, nor had Nanaba been told to play sentry, but the veterans had been together so long they automatically fell into a routine of taking care of each other when they got sick. It greatly expedited the healing process. Maybe Commander Shadis wouldn't go down in history as the best recon mission commander, but the Survey Corpse members who served under him would certainly remember his compassion in allowing them to take sick leave, post watch and cover each other's duties. Sick downtime had been cut to a quarter of the time it had taken to get well under former Commanders who didn't care if you were sick, because you still had stables to much and if you complained you got patrol duty to boot.

Hanji was gone for maybe a minute before coming back. Erwin was on his side, arm still over his eyes and a lot more color in his face. The wrong kind of color. Hanji laid the blanket out over the drowning man and let him sink. There was only so much his comrades could do to close ranks around him at this moment. They couldn't protect him from what he was feeling inside.

The first tear hit the leather of the couch just as the door closed behind Hanji. Nanaba caught a glance through the crack of a strong man coming undone and it broke her heart.


	3. Chapter 3

It was two days latter and Erwin found himself in the line at the mess hall. For two days he'd managed to do his work, avoid people who would ask questions - key among them Commander Shadis – and keep peace with Levi. The smaller man had figured out pretty fast that Erwin was avoiding him when Mike somehow never managed to run out of jobs – _'Erwin's orders'_ – for him to do _outside_. Always outside the building.

Another bowl of food found its way to his office during the one time Erwin left to use the bathroom. More steamed vegetables in a little chicken broth and rice noodles. And what looked suspiciously like bits of scrambled egg. All bland. No salt, pepper, or spices of any kind. Surprisingly Erwin was able to keep it down.

Erwin focused on the fruit selection. It was apples. This time of year it always was. The Survey Corps were the worst fed of the army divisions. The king's men didn't see the point in even feeding what they considered a useless bunch of people. Why fatten anyone up on good food if they were just going to be eaten by titans?

The apple appeared in his hand, and he gazed at it. The peel was red, shiny. Fresh. Pretty good quality, all things considering. He wondered where it came from. What family orchard grew it. How old are the trees? When were they planted? How long after humanity was Walled in did they first fruit and make apples big enough to eat? Why were they red? Do titans prefer people who eat mostly fruit diets, or animal-based cuisine? Why had apples made it into the Walls and been allowed to flourish when none of the other plants his father told him about did? Trees who's bark cured headaches; plants with leaves that could kill worms; roots who's powder helped broken bones heal. What kind of place where they trapped in where if a child breaks their bones they won't get the proper medical treatment because it's _outside the Walls_?

That's when Mike's hand gripped his wrist. "Erwin. Who is it?" He spoke quietly so no one else could hear.

Erwin looked at him. _What kind of world do we live in where orphans are as common as flies? What would happen if the Walls fell and the titans came inside? I've seen them eat children!_

"Mike. How come you and Nanaba don't have kids?"

"Because I can't have babies."

"Oh."

No one ever accused Erwin of not playing his part properly – mostly because he managed to be so low-key with his needs no one even suspected he wasn't just an average person – but Mike and Nanaba were beyond an oddity. Both of them having dominant personalities and excellent leadership skills people wouldn't expect two Type A personalities to be attracted to each other. The truth was both of them more than got along with a healthy dose of respect and more than enough alone time affection to fill in any gaps their working relationship might create.

They fit.

Erwin's heart fluttered. He had his place too. He fit as well. Just differently. He didn't know what was stranger: him being an up-and-coming squad leader with subordinates like Levi, or Mike and Nanaba not only getting along but getting along in their own place with a tub.

A part of Erwin currently blacked out by fear and trepidation smiled. This was his family: this room full of people; this building full of people; this base full of people. Each of them sisters and brothers in arms and each as committed as he to the cause.

 _But that's just it - No, I'm not thinking that right now._

The mess hall got quiet for a second. Then it got louder. No doubt Erwin was blocking the line and hogging the apple display was causing a problem for people who also wanted to ponder the inner workings of those red fruits. Squad Leader Mike trying to move Erwin was one thing, but Senior Squad Leader Erwin not moving was another.

"Hey." Erwin's head came around. Levi stood, glaring, his half full tray held even as he managed to cross his arms in annoyance. "It's a piece of fruit, not Wall prophecy. Move already." His eyes were alighted on the mountain of apples, not on either of the men in front of him. There was an absolute lack of personal scent, and instead an earthy fragrance of horse sweat and hay. Fresh from the stables he still had a bit of mud on his boots.

Erwin put the fruit back, Mike's hand still attached to his thick wrist, and let himself be led away. Levi took the opportunity to jump six people in line and take Erwin's spot. Protests were glared down in seconds flat. He grabbed the abandoned fruit, put it on his tray and walked out, presumably to have dinner at his usual place. People exchanged glances. _He took Quad Leader Erwin's fruit? Is that all he wanted? Squad Leader is distressed, so Mike is helping, but what's Levi doing with that apple?_

Mike took Erwin to his own office. It was smaller than Erwin's even, but less cluttered with comfortable furniture. Usually the squad leaders met in Erwin's office, seeing how he was the senior squad leader, and had their discussions there.

This wasn't an open discussion with the other squad leaders though. It was between the two of them only. It was dinner and the rest of the squad leaders were busy. Hanji was in the lab, as usual, and, as usual, more of their food would wind up in their experiments than in their sumach. Nanaba was jaw deep in a hot bath after running three full 3DMG classes in one day to make up for Erwin's absence. Erwin felt guilty for having his subordinates doing his work, but Nanaba shut him down fast by pointing out he'd taken over her 3DMG class more than once when she'd come two with flue twice in a row.

Erwin sat in the one chair that wasn't behind Mike's desk. Mike brought out the other chair and sat it across from his boss. The feel of incoming confrontation was as light as Mike could make it.

"Hanji says your not going through the stages properly. Nanaba agrees. They know it's not ok to stage an intervention with someone who probably weighs more than them both put together, so I guess that leaves me."

 _Mikes making jokes. Is that where I'm at? My subordinates are making jokes about being afraid of my reactions. Is it because I'm not going though the stages?_

"What stages?"

"Well, first try telling your friends whats going on with you." Mike scented reassurance into the air, as if Erwin couldn't see it in the kind set of his eyes.

"You know what's going on."

"I want to know whats going on with _you_. Not just what's happening to your body."

A flood let loose in Erwin's brain, "They're going to ground me."

"What?"

"They won't..." He blinked, leaning forward into his hands and drew a knee up. Then he leaned back in the chair with his knee up. Mike leaned to the side to keep full face to face contact. That was important. He needed to let Erwin have his barrier without allowing it to actually block.

"Erwin. Who is it?"

The same question from the mess hall food line. Still spoken in that soothing tone uniquely suited to sooth those Mike wanted to sooth. Nanaba had that same tone. Even Hanji had a variation of it. They all used it on each other as needed. Their little group. Their community. The veterans.

"Haven't I been doing this long enough?" Erwin said. "Maybe I should retire."

Mike curled his lip, practically tasting the deep trepidation Erwin was broadcasting.

A knock at the door.

"Bugger off, Levi," Mike barked at the fitted piece of wood between him and the substantially shorter subordinate. "Whatever it is, it can wait. Not now."

A stone cold silence answered him back in which Erwin – through practiced skill alone – didn't get up to appease the scent of angry feral human which rolled under the door. He was hardwired to kowtow to those stronger than him, but military hierarchy came before biological ones. That wasn't Erwin's only saving grace, but it was a hefty chunk of it.

A moment passed. Two. Something thumped on the floor outside the door and though Ewin couldn't hear it, he watched Mike trace the footsteps away from his office. The territorial nature of the taller man was on full display at that moment. Territorial and protective. If Levi had stepped into the office it would have been an all-out brawl.

Mike went to the door and opened it. Regular squad leaders didn't get locks on their doors. Erwin only had one because of his seniority. Mike tipped his head to the side, like a dog studying a puzzle. He bent down and picked something up, came back in and sat back down. He held it out to Erwin.

"I think Hanji hit the nail on the head. This is the fourth time he's brought you food, correct?"

"Yes," Erwin said, studying the red, almost geometrical design on the plate. It was an apple. Red skin and shiny and... cut into the shape of a bird. "He's reaching out."

"He keeps doing it when we're trying to have discussions in the office."

"Well, that's most likely because that's when all or most of us are together."

"Why can't he bond with the peons? The veterinary staff? He likes his horse. Why us?" Annoyance, thick like sap, filled the room. Annoyance and a little bit of not wanting someone else to breach their tight circle. If Erwin wasn't the boss there's no way the lot of them could even work together. Add Levi and it might just be fire to the keg.

Erwin regarded Mike, "It's because he's already on our level. Why make friends with people who've never been beyond the wall and won't return when they do?"

Mike's scent changed, arguing.

"Because that's not how he works," Erwin explained, "His instinct is to align himself with the strongest in order to survive. That's the kind that he is. The pack-bond kind." Erwin lowered his brows and added, "You were there, Mike. You saw him loose his collective shit when his friends died. Imagine that was Nanaba. Then tell me you would willingly align yourself with people who stand a very good chance of dying on their first expedition over those who have proven themselves on the field."

Mike was skeptical, scent changing to one that clearly though Levi was partially responsible for his pack's deaths, as he studied the careful dissection of the fruit. The expert fanning of the layers to create the look of wings, feathers. It was like something you see in a window of the specialty shops in Mitras. Something this precisely sliced and delicately placed was not something even the skilled cook of the Survey Corpse headquarters bothered to learn.

Finally Mike relented, "Fine. But maybe remind him when your office open hours are. If he wants in he's going to have to earn it like Hanji did." Without missing a beat – that is, without giving Erwin time to respond – he picked up a slice of the wing and commented, "He does good work with a knife, though. I'll give him that."

Erwin picked up the same slice of the opposite wing and took a bite. "That's also something you saw first hand."

The bite was halfway to Mike's mouth before he stopped, sniffed. "This is the apple you had in the mess hall. Most of the scent is rubbed off."

" _Rubbed off_ rubbed off, or just rubbed off?"

"Don't know. His scent isn't powerful on it, just his hands. Smells like that lavender he puts into the soap. But your scent is almost completely gone."

"Just keeps reminding me how little we know about him even though he's been on the Surface for four months now. We've gone on an expedition together, killed titans together, slept side by side that night it was cold as hell when even he came down to join us around the fire. I mean, what's his favorite color? What's his favorite flavor? What does he feel when he sees open sky?"

Mike huffed a laugh, "My guess is 'gray', 'spicy', and 'pissed off at titans'. Also, you're deflecting again."

"I don't want to talk about me."

"Tough. You're subordinates are worried."

Erwin almost glared at him for using military ranks as an excuse to play on his instinct to coddle others. Mike wasn't wrong though, so he kept his face strait.

He took a deep breath and picked another feather shaped apple slice, marveling at the dexterity it must have taken to carve this up. It hadn't been but a few minutes since Mike took him out of the mess hall before Levi showed up with it at Mike's office door. Erwin's deduction said he'd made this bird before, probably many times before judging by how fast he cut it up without seeing so much as one stray knife mark.

"I don't want Shadis to know."

Mike scented his question into the air. They both trusted their Commander, even if Erwin was slowly showing the man up in a way which was completely natural and not calculated.

"He'll ground me," Erwin said quietly. He didn't try to stop the deep, gut wrenching dread from leaking out of him. It was the first time he'd even admitted to himself what his worst fear was. "He'll tell me I can't go on the next expedition and put me on desk duty." Though Erwin tried not to the last two words were slurred.

His subordinate leadned back, arms crossed. Mike been on desk duty twice when Shadis had been a Captain. Once for a broken arm during his third expedition, and once for getting into a bar fight with Nanaba in which his arm was not only re-broken, but just about ripped off. Mike wouldn't tell Erwin why for nearly two years, but by then the promotion he earned during his desk time landed him the squad leader title first of his graduating class. Including Nanaba and Erwin.

"I'm not spoiled," Erwin snapped, not liking where Mike's scent train was leading. "How can I be above if I'm on my bottom?" He slapped the side of the chair next to his hip.

That 'irresponsible' scent was back. Along with an unforgiving hard line in Mike's mouth. Erwin's dad had been a teacher so he knew the 'I don't know how biology works' excuse was null and void.

Erwin narrowed his eyes and leaned back. "It wasn't my idea. In case you hadn't noticed this wasn't on purpose."

A hum prompted Erwin to explain himself. Instead he took in two more pieces of apple and nibbled the red edges off before inhaling the slivers of feathers and letting it get warm on his tongue. Two chews latter it disintegrated into sweet pulp and washed down his throat.

Instead of answer he went on with his explanation. "I'm not saying that I'm some kind of special case, or that Commander Shadis will need to make concessions for me, but I'm here to tell you I'm not going to step down. I'm not doing desk work. I won't give up on all the years I've put in to get this far."

"What's wrong with stepping back for a few months?"

"Can you honestly see me doing that? Stepping aside and letting someone else run the squads?"

"That someone else would be me. I'm competent. I wouldn't usurp you, either."

"We're already down one squad leader. Being down two would be too dangerous. Someone else would get promoted and then what would we do with them once I came back? No-" he cut off Mike's response "-they'll expect me to stay grounded for a few more months. By then I'll have been gone for too long. Far too long."

Mike pursed his lips like Nanaba did when she wanted to say something painfully obvious and didn't. Finally he just plowed ahead and said it.

"What about Levi?"

Erwin jerked like someone pinched him. "No."

Irritation whipped through the air between them. Consternation was nothing sexy, especially on someone with Erwin's height and heft. _You're paranoid_ , that scent accused.

This wasn't the discussion of a leader and subordinate, but of two friends who needed to understand each other.

 _Is this what Levi's after?_ Maybe he was coming to the closed door meetings on purpose because he needed to talk to Erwin and his issues arn't something which can be discussed in something as impersonal as drop-ins-welcome open office hours with Boss Erwin. Perhaps he needed to make himself more available.

"Levi's never been a subordinate before," Erwin said, "He hasn't been one long enough to be given any power. He needs to learn more discipline. Control of himself in a group; communication skills that don't involve berating everyone's 'half assed' cleaning; interpersonal skills to shows others he doesn't assume he's better just because he skipped training. He's holding himself too far away and I just don't feel comfortable putting him in charge of a group of people when he can't even take charge of himself."

Mike listened, even nodded along to the parts he agrees with. "Give the man some credit, Erwin. He used to be food aggressive and now he's waiting his turn in line, and bringing you an apple cut up to look like a swan. It's even got seeds for eyes. Remember the first time you dismissed him at the end of his first debriefing? He though you were angry at him because you 'told him to leave' when he 'already knew he was leaving'. Now he comes to the door and knocks, goes away when he's told. No disruptions and no arguments. His interpersonal skills are also improving: if Nana says he was being nice then he was being nice. Nana's not telling lying for _Levi's_ sake, trust me."

Mike was scenting the room to gain agreement, but Erwin was easily able to ignore it. Military training has a lot of perks in regards to countering biological manipulation of the naturally dominant types.

"While I appreciate your assessment – and I agree he's improving – that's not enough. He's not excelling at anything except 3DMG. Everything you say just means he's less feral. More average. That's not extraordinary. That just means he can hold is own along with any recruit who's been in the training program for a year. I'm not giving up my position so someone who can't even-" He stopped, almost betraying one of Levi's secrets. To himself he silently added one more thing to Mike's list of achievements: _He's learning to read._ "I'm not giving up my position, even temporarily, to help promote someone who randomly decides to buck the trend of following orders and does what he wants because he wants to. That's not how the Survey Corpse works. I've been shielding Shadis from Levi's insubordination, but if he had to deal with it directly he may change his mind and throw him in prison. Humanity cannot lose him to the headman."

"You've got, what, a couple more months before your … medical condition... becomes apparent. Work with him more. Tell him what's going on. Seeing how the only thing we even know about him is what his favorite cleaning products are I doubt he'll rat you out to Commander Shadis if you let him in. It might even help to anchor that elusive bond Hanji's been on about."

Erwin put his hands deeply into his hair and worked to pull out the longer strands, worrying at the product that held his coif in place. He wanted his hair disarrayed. It would match the little tornado going through his mind, ripping out all his career plans, life goals, and idea about the future and throwing them all over the place. Smashing them against the walls and watching them rain down in pieces that too easily resembled half-eaten titan food and broken blades.

"Erwin?" Concern dripped from the younger man's breathy voice, suddenly very worried. He hadn't seen his friend and comrade this distressed since they came back from their first expedition. Half the trainees who graduated with them followed Erwin into the Survey Corpse. They wanted to follow the charismatic head of their class into battle; a man who was proving even then that he was going places and doing things despite his biology. Most of them had no returned.

Mike put his hands on either side of Erwin's shoulders, staring at the top of his bowed head. "Nevermind. It's just an idea. If you think you can keep your position then I'll support you. If you don't think you'll need leave then that's fine. I won't bring it up again."

A knock on the door. Tentative.

"Let him in," Erwin said before even Mikes nose could get a whiff of whom it was.

Mike looked at the door and then at Erwin. "Seriously, it's OK. We don't have to tell him."

"Yes, I do."

"There's other options. Let's ask Hanji or Nanaba, when she gets-"

"It's him, Mike."

"What?"

Erwin's head came up, wide blue eyes shining with those tears that sat on his lower eyelids and hung out in his lashes but refused to fall. "You asked me who it was." He waited a moment for Mike to remember asking that question. "It's him. It's Levi."

The color drained out of Mike's face. It was his turn to be in shock. He turned his head towards the door. Probably not as shocked as the man who stood on the other side of the door had been when Erwin's condition became apparent and suddenly everyone was trying to separate them.

Granted, Erwin was an anomaly of the Survey Corps.

"Erwin...?" When the blonde refused to answer, hair fully disarrayed, Mike asked, "What the hell happened?"

Erwin just shook his head. "Add 'obeying military hierarchy over biological hierarchy' to the list of things he's learning to do. He's known from three days ago. I just couldn't face him yet."

"Fuck me..." Mike breathed, tonelessly standing and going to the door. Giving Erwin one last look he turned the knob and stood back as the thick slab of wood swung open.


	4. Chapter 4

"You need to eat more," Levi said, pushing a third tray of food across the desk. The first and second trays sat stacked by Erwin's elbow, empty.

Beside that sat three days worth of deliberately accumulated paperwork. The Interior had become even more bureaucratic since Erwin got his promotion to Senior Squad Leader. He suspected they didn't actually care how much feed each and every one of the Survey Corps' six-hundred horses ate on a weekly basis; they just wanted to 'give those freeloaders something to do' between bouts of being 'Titan chow'. A childish part of the Erwin felt targeted: the first of the paper upgrades came through his office three days ago, even though he wasn't the Commander or Captain, and certainly was not the officer in charge of livestock.

Contrary to popular belief, fueled by the fact that Erwin kept his open office hours for the paperwork grind, he didn't particularly like paperwork. The frequent interruption by members of his squad and new recruits was welcomed. _That's probably why everyone thinks I'm so nice: they come and I smile like they are sunlight to eyes that haven't seen it in years. The truth is I'm just grateful for the interruption._

" _Eat."_ The deep voice had a commanding tone to it, one that sent a stable hand to his knees earlier that day when Levi inspected his horse' stall and found it 'grimy'. That report and subsequent a _ctions needed_ were deliberately stuffed somewhere in the middle of the pile of paperwork.

 _I need to do something to get the Interior back on our side._ Levi's prowess on the field had given the blonde more than enough ammo to aim at the rumor mill, and had been all that saved their funding once they got back. An entire squad wiped out and the only one left taking revenge on the three titans who did it? Solo? The sort of heroics which got the tongues of the nobles wagging faster than rumors of incest amongst the Garrison Legions lower ranked officers. Erwin slowly introduced Levi to the rumor mill, only hoping that when the man figured out why people were whispering behind his back he'd have settled down enough not to lash out. Types like him didn't like attention.

"I ate. I'm full. Feel free to enjoy it yourself, though. You've lost weight in the last month."

 _It's only a matter of time before you know what all your buttons are and how to push them. You don't like the spotlight? Too bad. You're too much of an asset now for me not to showcase you to the Interior – to_ everyone _\- and let them know just how much of humanities's strength lies in you._

Since that conversation in Mike's office Levi became obsessed with giving him food. _Providing_. A conversation in which Levi had stood against the closed door, arms crossed, and effectively blocked Mike from exiting the room so he could be alone with someone who wasn't his natural superior. Though Erwin didn't know Levi that well he picked up on the subtle signs which he'd come to recognize as _Levi, Holding Back_.

In that month Erwin noted that most of the time Levi was holding back. When someone walked across his path without acknowledging him, he held back. When they gave him new bunk mates, he held back. When he stood in line for tea and it was brewed wrong, he held back. When Mike told him to go rescue someone out of a tree who'd gotten tangled up in their gear wires, he held back. When that person hugged him in gratitude, he'd held back. _Really_ held back.

Levi was once again holding back. The fruit salad rested between them, closer to Erwin that Levi. He really was full, though despite that the small berries cut into star shapes and melon slices shaped like lizards did look nice. Fresh fruit was not standard issue to the Survey Corps, though it didn't stop soldiers from spending their own funds on it in town. Most soldiers supplemented their rations with stores of groceries they kept in their footlockers. Erwin suspected it was Levi's life in the Underground – a place that doesn't grow food at all – which drew the man to fresh produce like flies to honey.

"I'm fine," Levi said blandly by way of excusing the obvious narrowing of his face. The smaller man obviously had some hang ups about food. Acquisition, distribution, ownership. Sharing.

He'd been tossed out of the mess hall by his squad leader just after arriving for saying the place was too disgusting to eat in. To Erwin's dismay the man turned not only Levi against him, but Levi's pack as well. They closed ranks around their leader, shunned attempts to socialize after that, and started buying and preparing their own food from shops in town. It wasn't till Erwin asked how long it took them to save for the carved ham that the red-haired girl smiled and just said, "I wanted it. Levi-bro got it for me." Levi and Erwin locked eyes after that and Erwin realized that Levi used up his weekly stipend to purchase their food, and stole what he couldn't afford.

Erwin regarded the man in front of him similarly, the blatant lie, and wondered which of the three facets he'd gotten to know a bit over the last 5 months he was looking at now. _Thug, premier being, or soldier? Some days I don't even know. That line you cross, when and how, I'm looking forward to the day I know which of you I'm contending with at any given moment._

Pack leader Levi went dormant when his pack did. Thug Levi soon followed when he realized he couldn't slink back to the Underground: seeing the world outside the wall had changed him. Loosing his bond-mates to the Titans sealed his hatred of the monsters. Losing someone on their first expedition was an inevitable outcome for just about every soldier. A soldier is what he became then, finally; subordinate out of survival instance. Still quick to read a situation, and always _holding back_.

Erwin went back to his paperwork, but said as he did, "You're the one not eating. You need to eat. The mess hall has something available at all hours if you don't wish to dine in company. You can always just eat on the roof." Reminding Levi of the roof top he avoided since his bond-mates passing was deliberate. Erwin wasn't seeing him but he smelled the reaction. Pungent sorrow at remembering how they had all dined up here; aggravation at being forced to remember; irritation that bringing up the memory had been on purpose to see how he'd react.

Levi did a good job of tamping down whatever his instaince wanted him to do. Instincts come natural to Levi's nature. The pack type was so rare that no one really knew much about it, except they nest, get territorial and the leaders only take orders from others for short periods of time before making a move.

Levi had already made his move. Twice. Erwin wondered if the third time would be the charm that either brought Levi to heel or Erwin to his knees. Again. They had used and abused each other time and again over the last five months. It lead directly to Levi's friends dying, maybe to the whole squad since Levi alone had clearly been enough to take down all three Titans alone. The backlash of that lead to Levi trying to kill him and the backlash of that lead to Erwin's current circumstances.

Levi didn't move to leave Erwin's office, knowing that the Titan was his problem [ball was in his corner] if he wanted to force the food issue. They could go rounds about who needed to eat more, but it was undeniable to Erwin that Levi could continue on for another several months like this. He wasn't back to the gauntness he bore when they drug him from the Underground, but four months of eating well on the Surface had only begun to add a small layer of fat on the hallows of those cheek. Now that fat was gone again and Erwin knew Levi could smell his frustration at his subordinate.

Erwin suspected it was because instead of eating the food Levi still purchased in town he was instead feeding it to him. Why the insistence on giving food away? Why not share, or buy more? _Is it because I eat more than your bond-mates put together and you know you can't afford it and you know I won't eat food you steal?_

He didn't sit down or leave Erwin's office so Erwin ignored him in favor of paperwork. Nothing was more riveting than having to justify buying five extra yards of fabric to make new curtains for Hanji's lab. The last set – l _ets be honest, the last three sets_ – had been lost in various fires/explosions and/or soaked in goop which wouldn't wash out. Why the financial officer hadn't gotten this sheet made Erwin wonder if the Commander and then the Captain wern't the ones who settled him with it, themselves not wanting to bother with procedure that was clearly beneath someone who had better things to do.

Levi spoke, face steeled into a forced expression of contemplation, "You like the oranges most, don't you? They're your favorite" Today's fruit salad was devoid of any tree-hanging fruit and it was true Erwin did miss them.

Erwin regarded him for a second. Apparently Levi was still sizing him up, trying to figure him out. Find his buttons. Even his good ones. Figure out how to push them. Manipulate.

There was clear aggression in Levi's movements as he reached over and drew the tray back to his side of the desk. He and Hanji and Mike had all been wrong about one thing: Levi did not show is affection though food. He did not bond over giving food. He was not over his food aggression. No. There is a difference, and an easily readable one, between a look of rejection when one's food offering is turned away, and the contemplation-covering-aggression look he gave his boss now.

Over the last month he'd brought Erwin food repeatedly, sometimes more elaborate than the last. The swan never showed it's graceful neck or seed-eyes again, though steaming fish wrapped in foil that was itself shaped like a fish made an appearance every week. The fifth officer's meeting interrupted by a small man and a tray laden with soup, bread purchased from a bakery in town, and yet another fruit salad Erwin came to realize it was deliberate. The man meant to show the officers – the people in power - he was providing food for Erwin.

The next day Erwin didn't let him in and the food was left outside. However Levi waited outside with it. As everyone streamed out Levi caught Erwin in the chest with the tray and pressed him back into the office and onto the couch, where he stood over him with crossed arms and a fearsome glare. Commander Shadis about blew a blood vessel at the insubordination. Levi looked terrifying, so Erwin took a bite. His subordinate relaxed immediately and strode from the room as if nothing had happened.

The message was clear: _I'm providing food and you're going to eat it._

Almost as if he were trying to make conversation, Levi asked, "What's your favorite fruit?"

"That's not why I'm not eating it." Erwin said it automatically, then paused. Levi didn't ask personal questions. Didn't see the need to. Didn't question anything around him, really. One might thing he were made for taking orders, if one didn't know that in the Underground there was no way to change anything so there was no point in asking questions about why it was the way it was. Inadvertently this made it easier to bring Levi into a new environment and allow him to skip basic training, though sometimes it was painfully obvious that he had skipped basic training.

Levi didn't know military hierarchy that well yet. It wasn't something a pack-bond person like him could understand from a piece of paper and he'd never been around people who didn't act on instinct before. He'd quickly adapted. Assessing situations and acting accordingly was his major strong suit. Underneath Erwin could tell that he merely _tolerated it;_ a lot of the time Levi didn't really understand a protocol he was observing or an action he was expected to take. He didn't question it either. That was another strong suit. One Erwin desperately hoped he wouldn't lose as he found his true place in the Survey Corps.

"Oranges," Erwin said, though he didn't know what motive Levi had for asking, "But they're expensive. Have to be shipped in from groves in the southern part of Wall Maria. A blight this year took out a lot of the early crop, so they're hoping the second flowering will save the market."

It wasn't as though Erwin were trying to shut Levi down. On the contrary, he wanted the man to open up. He was a puzzle that needed to be figured out; as if he were a knife that you could only handle with your eyes closed, so if you weren't careful and didn't know what you were doing you'd cut yourself. Learning how to handle Levi was an equally slow learning process.

Normally Erwin could get a read on people pretty fast. Size them up. Find out what they wanted. Find out what he could get from them. He made an art out of getting people to give him what he wanted. He was an intellectual weapon for the Survey Corps, one that Commander Shadis made no small coins about training up to be the next Commander. Shadis just had to live long enough to see that happen, as there were a lot of people not interested in seeing someone like Erwin achieve any high ranks.

Levi was notable amongst those people. Erwin just didn't know anything about the Underground, except the people who lived there held very old and often pre-Wall ideals about how things should be done. They lived on instinct along, forgoing actual social protocol. Laws didn't exist and if you wanted to survived then you played your part. They even still used the archaic terms to describe people's place in the hierarchy based solely on how they were born. Not the ones the Interior used to describe their families of nobles – that notion itself was newborn in comparison – but the far older ones that determined whether people were suppose to be dominant or submissive based on their biology.

When Levi and his two pack-mates hit the Surface it took almost a month to integrate them into the Corps. The culture shock was apparent, but Levi's subordinates did a far better job of adapting that Levi had. Especially after being owned publicly by someone who by all means shouldn't even be allowed to be in the military. That outward hatred ended when a Titan killed Levi's pack. Levi turned his ire away from Erwin and pointed it at the Titans, making it clear he'd put up with or do just about whatever it takes to eradicate them. That included forcing himself into a military mold and submitting to someone like Erwin.

Erwin gazed across the desk at Levi, who had yet to react to the words, remembering that five months of Levi out of the Underground didn't mean the Underground was out of Levi. Once he'd even called Erwin by one of those old-time words, demanding in no uncertain terms who should be giving orders to whom. The confrontation led to Erwin's current state of trepidation about being grounded by his Commander once his condition progressed. The confrontation didn't go on the records, in case Shadis decided Erwin couldn't handle the street thug and put him under someone else's command. Thing is Levi's ability to fake subordination was all Erwin could ask for as he slowly came to understand what made Levi tick and how to work it to his advantage.

"I'm not leaving till you eat it," Levi said.

"I'm not hungry."

"Then it looks like the library is just going to stay grimy for another day."

 _Putting off cleaning to make sure I eat? Maybe he's not_ just _food aggressive._

Erwin conceded, "I'll eat it when I get hungry again. Scout's honor."

"Tch" Levi turned and left, holding back another order, retort, sass, and/or assault to the bridge of Erwin's. Always holding back.

 _Interesting: he left._

Erwin went back to paperwork. As easy as it was to get lost in the puzzle that was Levi once more he focused his mind on the paperwork. Hanji would get their new curtains, but if they ruined this set inside of three months like the last set Erwin was going to have shutters installed on the outside.

 _Or maybe just brick it up instead..._

~ A Few Days Latter ~

Erwin's Office

"Thank the Walls I was wrong about him being over the food aggression." Hanji was a third of the way up the body of the fish as they spoke. "Otherwise I'd have missed this!"

The trout this time was almost three times the size of the last several and Levi delivered it on a piece of wood which had obviously been used to cook the fish. The idea of roasting anything on a raw slab of wood seemed crazy to Erwin until he'd tasted it.

"That's red cedar," Mike said after the first sniff of steam when Erwin peeled back the layer of foil. This time it did not come shaped like a fish itself. "Rare in these parts. Only grows wild up in North Rose, near the mountains."

Nanaba agreed, a third of the way down the body of said fish by the time either Mike or Erwin realized she had no intention of sharing with men till she was done. Hanji might not have an obvious dynamic, but the person was still viscous if something came between them and something of interest. The wisest thing to do was let them fatten up and roll over to the couch before the senior officers could move in for cold leftovers.

Erwin asked, "Think I could have a taste before it's all gone?"

Mike covered his mouth with his hand and laughed softly as Nanaba snarled at her superior just as softly. Erwin huffed and crossed his arms, sitting back down in the chair behind his desk. Nanaba missed lunch today because he asked her to help with the paperwork overload. Levi brought him lunch as had become the routine, but there wasn't enough for both and Nanaba insisted she wasn't hungry. She lied. And missed lunch. So now she was tucking into the dinner Levi brought.

Mike looked over at Erwin. _You know this is because she knew it's Friday and he always brings fish on Friday. Fish is her favorite._

Erwin's silent reply was _, Yes, I know. I just though I'd get a taste before it's gone. Never had lemon over fish before._

Mike laughed softly again. _Yeah, that might not happen. If your quick you might can snag one of the lemons though. I mean_ really quick _._

Erwin chuckled this time. _And risk pulling back a stump? No thanks._

Nanaba leaned back, burped with her hand over the belly. "That's just... fantastic fish! Where'd he learn to cook like that? They don't even have fish in the Underground!"

Erwin shrugged. "No idea. I'm not teaching him and even our cooks don't import cedar to grill fish on."

Hanji said, while spitting out bones, "This isn't store bought trout. It's most likely wild caught."

Nanaba asked, "How can you tell?"

Hanji shrugged, "Scientific deduction." That was all that needed to be said. A long time ago they learned to just take Hanji's word for it rather than risk the explanation they learned not to ask for.

Erwin darted in, snatched up a lemon and darted back out quicker than Nanaba could brandish the fork which came with the platter to stop him. He danced all the way back to the bay window behind his desk before easing down to sit on the ledge and savor his prize. His size belied his speed, on foot as well as the 3DMG.

Hanji and Mike took great amusement watching Nanaba stare down her friend as he tasted the food he'd stolen from her without permission. Nevermind the fish was procured for Erwin: everyone knew the officers shared food. So what if Nana was eating the Titan's share and not letting anyone but the genderless Hanji share it with her? Some people just had their territorial days and Nanaba hadn't had one in a while. Just another unspoken understanding of comrades who worked together as long as they had.

A knock on the door.

Hanji deliberately avoided Erwin's reaction as they quipped, "If that's the waiter, tell him I'd like a glass of the house chardonnay. "

Erwin chuckled softly, making a face around the slice of lemon he was sucking on.

Suddenly the door pushed open. Every officer was standing, facing the sudden intrusion. One did not simply enter the Senior Squad Leader's office without permission, especially when all the Squad Leaders were currently located within. Obviously they had important matters to discuss.

And fat trout to eat.

Levi bared his teeth at Nanaba and growled. Suddenly the scent of angry feral human was too thick. Erwin coughed automatically, a physical reaction to the instincts they instantly produced.

"Oh, shit," Mike said, jumping forward to intervene. They all knew how badly this looked so none could blame him for how badly the impressively pressenced man was about to react. They could only hope to hold him back long enough to-

"Levi, st-" Erwin didn't even get the command out before Levi and Mike butted heads. No way was the tallest man going to let the shortest get his small ass handed to him by Nanaba. Mike would rather get beaten instead and save himself the headache of dealing with an irate mate for the next several days.

Levi may be good at fighting, but Nana _liked_ to fight. Nanaba's answering scent and challening response growl only egged both Levi and Mike. If Mike wasn't fighting to protect Nana in the aspect of his mate he'd have let Levi go. This wasn't an officer brawl he was trying to prevent, but a social brawl.

Erwin grabbed Levi around the waist and physically hauled the snarling animal away from Mike. It spoke volumes for Erwin's ability to tamp down his instincts and not just approach two soldiers fighting for dominance, but to physically intervene. Most of him yelled at him for approaching, knowing half of the issue was him and half of it was misunderstanding.

"Levi, I let her have some. It's fine."

Levi whirled around in the small space of Erwin's arms – to Erwin's surprise of how flexible that spine really was – and shoved his superior's chest hard enough to knock open the embrace. The physical reaction surprised everyone. Levi knows about Erwin's condition... but it's not as if it effaced his pectorals.

He stopped, panting slightly, an angered flush on his face. "I'm not making food to kowtow to _them,"_ He leveled such a condemning glare at all three officers behind him before adding, "They can feed their damn selves!"

"I was sharing. There's nothing wrong with sharing."

"I though I wasn't giving you enough. You're not getting fat yet. I brought you bigger fish this time. You always liked that best." The exlanation shot strait to the core of Erwin. He couldn't help the tiny twitch of a smile that almost graced his face. Then Levi ruined it by adding, "Now I know they've been stealing it. I can fix that."

He made to lunge past Mike once more before Erwin caught his wrist. Levi snapped to an abrupt hault but didn't attack Erwin to release him. It wouldn't be as simple as pushing on his chest; he'd have to hurt him to make him let go and his common sense wouldn't let him do that. Not now and probably not at all anymore.

"It's not stealing if I'm sharing," Erwin explained, trying to be gentle in his explantion so he didn't upset Levi further. He still kept an edge of superiority in his voice too, letting Levi know that even if the smaller person disagreed he'd still have to obey. "We share: all the officers share. If one of us has food we share it with each other."

"I don't want to feed _them_." The anger in the dark haired man's voice took Erwin strait back to the Underground, hearing the way he'd snarled out his name the first time they'd spoken to each other. And after that when Levi was uncuffed and allowed to seat himself comfortably. Erwin refused to uncuff his friends till they got to the surface and Levi had kept that snarl in his voice until they had. It had set everyone on edge, as if the violence of the pack leader was only ever seconds from errupting.

"Well I do. It's how we work. I hoped you'd figure that out on your own, but apparently not. So I'm telling you: if one of us eats then we all eat."

"That's not how it works! He's her mate: he can feed her himself."

 _Interesting_ , Erwin noted, _It's not Hanji he's got a problem with, but specifically Nanaba. And specifically because she's pair bonded._

"Actually," Mike said as neutrally as possible while pouring calming pheromones into the air, "our friendship and working relationships run alongside our personal relations."

For the first time since Erwin pulled him off of Mike Levi looked at the tall man, craning his head up to meet his eyes. "Yeah, lets see how long that lasts. I may be some Underground runt who doesn't understand your Surface bullish hierarchy, but even I know you can only play kennel so long before one of you becomes the sire and one of you the bitch."

Mike's face showed rare surprise by that condemnation, and Nanaba went perfectly still as she read her man's reaction. Hanji's hand came up to cover their mouth, not being able to comprehend that Levi _just said that._

Erwin pulled Levi back to regain his attention, breaking the sudden stillness of the room.

"That's not how it works here, Levi. We're friends and we work and fight together. We share blood, sweat, tears and food. You've seen that on the expedition. Nothing gets wasted."

Indignant with he obviously though was a piss-poor excuse Levi twisted his wrist out of Erwin's grasp. The larger man could have kept aholt of it – after all it was small and so delicatly boned – but his instincts told him to let go of an angry being who didn't want to be held.

"You're wrong. You don't even know how wrong you are. " He glared at Erwin with surprising heat, "They're taking advantage of your state to get food from you. They know you'll give in and let them have it because it's in your nature. Don't tell me I'm not telling the truth either – when I walked in all you had was a lemon slice to suck on while that puggy puppy right there -" he pointed a thumb over his shouder at Nanaba - " was literally sucking meat off the bones. Do you honestly thing she needs it more than you do?"

"My subordinate missed lunch. I don't mind sharing."

Now Levi turned a frightening shade of red. _Holding back... always holding back_. "She. Has. A. Mate."

Mike couldn't help himself. "Yeah, I was just waiting my turn for some fish, too. It's not just she and Hanji who were going to enjoy it. There's enough for all four. Erwin was just being nice letting them eat first. We're above hoarding food here."

Levi sucked in a sharp breath and then expelled it with a viciousness that bespoke the violence he wanted to unleash instead. In such small space and with four people – because he knew Erwin would be the first to react – he wouldn't get far if he attacked. He might headstrong but no way would he try to take on this many in such a small space and with only the one knife they knew he carried in his boot.

"That's now how it works," Levi said, not having words to explain. He didn't know but they though they understood. They didn't know they didn't understand at all.

"Levi," Erwin said with some authority, "you're a pack leader. You should know better than anyone that making sure the pack gets food is important." Erwin may not understand pack dynamics that well, but he though he understood them enough to try and reach Levi using pack logic.

Levi froze. A small whine of confusing escaped before he could say anything. His pupils dilated. Erwin knew then he fucked up and said something wrong. Levi's chest rose and fell in a controlled hyper breath. 

"That's not how it works," the small man said finally, looking every inch his high and alleged weight, "That's not how it works at all. The pack leader doesn't eat unless there is enough food to feed everyone. You'd starve. You _will_ starve. There's never going to be enough food to feed a pack this size!"

Erwin wanted an explanation, but seeing the psychoanalysis coming Levi opted out – yet again- and quickly retreated. He practically ran away from the confusion the four instilled n him. It went against everything he knew, the way these Surface dwellers acted. When he left he took confusion and anger with him. In his wake he left unease and unhappiness.

"That... did not go well." Hanji was astute in their observations as always.

"No," Mike agreed aloud, while going over to the window to help clear the wariong pheromones from the room, "It did not."

"Did you see me, though?" Nana asked with a self-satisfied smile, "I was amazing."

Erwin quirked up a grin, unable to stop it. Nana was an icebreaker. "Yes," he agreed, "You not attacking the little gutter snipe and putting him in his place was amazing self control. I'm constantly impressed on how much you've improved."

Hanji laughed, "Watch it, Erwin. She's angling for your job!"

Mike smiled fondly at Nanaba, "Of course she's amazing. No one ever gives me credit for my part though. Do you know how much I spend on scented candles -some that float! - and bath salts to keep this woman in a calm state of mind?"

"I know how much you spent on that tub, though." Hanji quipped, "and if that's any indication of the investment you place on the happiness of your homelife then I'd say your bank account is about as wrecked as your sheets are by Monday mornings."

Nanaba grinned, "You have no idea. I'm not giving up till Mike is well and thoroughly pregnant." Mike snickered at that impossibility, but certainly didn't mind the trying.

Erwin sighed, "Can I have some fish now?"

"No," Nana said bluntly, sitting back down and picking up the fork, "I'm going to eat half of it just to make that little shit madder than Hanji's steroidal rage."

"Hey! That was years ago! I don't experiment on myself anymore!" Hanji tucked into the fish again too, knowing they ere exempt from asking to eat or being asked to stop eating.

Mike sat on the couch and Erwin joined him, both of them eying the two bent over the desk picking at the fish with fingers and sharing the one fork.

Mike said, "He was mad like 'roid rage, though. Wonder what he's going to do about it."

"The best scenario would be for him to get the meaning of what I said and finally understand officers who are also friends, and sometimes more."

"The worst is that he really starts treating us like a pack. I think that would make him an outsider. He compares human behavior to that of dogs a lot. I don't think he had much interaction with people before he pack-bonded those two friends of his."

"Yes," Erwin said leaning his head back along the soft curve of the couch, "and I've seen what packs of dogs do to single outsiders. If he thinks its only a matter of time before we turn on him then either he'll try harder to get on the inside...or he'll wait for us to turn on him and be prepared to take out as many of us as he can before he goes down."

First Draft: 3/17/16


	5. Chapter 5

Mike shoved Levi down the corridor towards the mess hall. The smaller man didn't like having the taller man behind him, hands firmly gripping his narrow shoulders and firmly pushing him forward. The reluctance was more than obvious: one hand clawed into the air as one hand clenched at the sleeve of Mike's decorated jacket.

"Just try it," Mike growled low in his chest, "Just walk up to the woman and tell her, politely, 'Ma'am, I enjoy tea a lot. Would you like a to know one of my tricks for brew-'"

"It's not one trick," Levi ground out, sounds emitting from just as low in his chest. "Everything she does is wrong. Every. Damned. Thing. She can't even get the water temperature right."

It was almost a month after the incident in Erwin's office. Levi's food tactic changed overnight: now he only brought food when Erwin was alone and always before the lunch and dinner hours so as to avoid the officers who met in Erwin's office to share those meals.

 _I'm providing Erwin with food. I'm not feeding the rest of you._

This lead to a discussion of the incident which lead to none of them knowing exactly what they said wrong. Levi's obvious strategic switchup meant something had gotten though. Erwin and Mike agreed the message they'd sent to Levi wasn't well received. Nanaba pointed out that it didn't matter: Levi was the low man on this Titan pole and could go over the Walls if he didn't like it. Hanji, as usual, was either somewhere in between or just orbiting in scientific observation: they suggested Levi needed to be taught proper communication skills. Skills that don't involve glaring, demanding, growling, or scent marking the room with his displeasure.

Nanaba drew the short straw for who got to be the first to try. Mike and Hanji laughed and hid behind the hay barn as Nanaba, astride her horse, approached Levi on a sunny afternoon near the end of an equine training class. The dark haired man saw her coming and the giddy smile she plastered all over her face widened his eyes. Either he was in trouble or the squad leader wanted a favor. Or to talk about Erwin. Or to warn him away from Mike. Or...

"Levihi. Howareyoutoday?"

"Suddenly constipated." He angled his horse away and kicked it into a trot, headed for the stables.

Nanaba arched both eyebrows, a determined set to her chin as she raced after him. Her brown warpony easily paced up to Levi's black nighmare of a mare.

"So I hear you've had some trouble out of Nigel. You know you can talk to the officers about your problems, right? We're here to listen."

"Pass." _Rejected._

Hanji held their hands over their mouth so hard they were sure it was leaving bruises. Mike threw them down on their butt so they wouldn't be seen bent over laughing.

"Levi. You haven't caused any troubles in this class since you've been here. It's clear you like your horse and don't want to lose your riding privileges. Issues you have with other soldiers, even if it's just them having issues with you, need to be addressed or problems arise."

Levi pulled his horse to a halt and gazed at her as if they equals. "Understand this, Squad Leader Nanaba, I'm no snitch. When I have problems I deal with them. You'll never need to worry about whether or not anyone is getting along with me. Either they are, or they soon will be."

With that he took off for the stables again. Nanaba didn't know what to say to that, rooted in place where they'd stopped. The implication that Levi was quietly dealing with issues that arose around him filled her with a sense of foreboding and at once deep pleasure. Erwin was right about this one: he could handle himself. She signed, not wanting that sour puss' attitude to ruin her day. Let someone else try to get through to him. After taking care of her horse she passed the proverbial reins off to Hanji.

Hanji's drew the second shortest straw, followed by Mike and then Erwin. Hanji almost blew their chance though: Levi suddenly showed up at their lab to relay a message. When he saw the state of the place he lapsed into silence. It lasted till Hanji got inches from his face and poked his forehead. They were curious to know what could freeze the body of a man whom she'd seen taking down Titans like it were spear fishing in a barrel.

"Yoo-hoo. Levi. Levi. _Levi_."

"This place. This disgusting place. This fitly place. Is. This is where you spend all of your time?" Abruptly the man turned and spun out, hurrying with an urgency that bespoke a deep unease. Almost panic.

Hanji looked around their office wondering what the problem was. The piles of stuff were organized by category. The blankets in the corner where they slept sometimes had been washed just last week. You couldn't even see the dust on the windows because of the new curtains Erwin approved. These were fire resistant, even! What was the issue?

They chased Levi down the corridor and found him braced against the wall around the corner from the basement lab and wheezing for breath.

"Are you ok?" Hanji asked, startled to see the man in such a state.

"I am certainly not ok!" He snarled, grabbing Hanji by the harness strap across their chest and shoving them back into the wall in a move that abruptly switched their places. "You're a filthy animal. Even people in the Underground keep cleaner quarters than that!"

Hanji's face blanked for a second taking in what the angry man said. Normally the scientist would defend the state of their lab, pointing out the strategic locations of each and every single thing. Most of them were on the floor, or scattered around the table. Why put them on a shelf if you needed it often? That's what tables are for! But this, Hanji determined, was a prime opportunity to teach Levi some communication skills.

"Ok," Hanji said, "that's a fair assessment. Why don't you tell me the exact problem you have with the state of my lab."

Levi didn't expect that. He let go of Hanji abruptly and took a step back. Someone who wasn't being threatening, someone who wasn't cowing and listening, didn't need to be restrained against a wall.

"I just told you the problem," he said, "Is there as much clutter between your ears as there is in that fucking dirty room?"

"Well, then. What now?"

"Clean the fucking place up!"

"Try that again. This time without the insubordination."

Levi's white teeth clicked shut. He took another step back sensing a trap. Hanji had never scolded Levi for insubordination, had never pointed out even once that anything Levi ever did was wrong, or bad, or …

 _This must be Erwin's work._ The though of giving the giant blonde a reason to narrow those cold blue eyes at him made him hesitate.

"Don't stop now," Hanji encouraged, "You're doing really well."

After a solid thirty seconds of not saying anything he finally took three deep breaths and said, "Clean your fucking lab or I will."

Hanji's smile instantly melted. The thought of someone touching their laboratory supplies, rearranging it into a nonsensical order, brought forth a kind of panic that wild Titans didn't. _By the Walls, what if Levi got into my lab while I'm not there and_ threw anything away _?_

"Oh, yes," Levi said with a self-congratulatory expression, "I was sent to tell you that Erwin won't be having dinner in his office tonight. He's dining in the mess hall with the newest batch of Titan chow. Would you like to spend dinner in your lab again? I can be back in less than five minutes with all the cleaning supplies we'll need."

 _Levi being helpful is more scary than Titans._

Hanju leaned against the wall rooted in place. "On second though," the scientist said, not at all liking the feeling of Levi turning the tables as easily as he had, "I think I'll dine in the mess hall with Erwin. You know, the officers could spend more time with the recruits." They swallowed hard. "Will you be joining us?"

"No."

Levi strode away at once irritated at not being allowed to clean the lab, and relieved that Hanji wasn't about to belt him once again for not understanding those arbitrary 'insubordination' rules. He was fairly good at playing along most of the time – they key seemed to be acting like he had no individuality whatsoever – but when it came to cleaning he'd risk everything but being grounded or losing riding privileges to right a mess.

 _Insufferable, disgusting Surface dwelling louts._

A few days latter Levi found himself head to head with the tallest of the insufferable louts. Levi ventured into the mess hall for his daily ration of overbrewed tea. He found Mike waiting for him beside the almost untouched canister of hot brew and hesitated, wondering if Hanji had tattled on him after all. He'd never gotten in trouble for anything he'd ever said or done to that one, but maybe the lab was that one's weak spot and he'd inadvertently pushed the button. If anyone understood not wanting to have their territory messed with it was Levi.

"Levi, you like tea, don't you?" Mike threw a scent into the air which indicated an attempt at friendly conversation.

Wary, the dark-eyed man stopped short of the canister. Mike had spoken maybe five words to him in five months. Most of them were trying to get him not to kill Erwin when the psychic backlash of his pack-bonded friend's deaths nearly drove him insane. The memory of being in such close proximity to the two, of blood and steam, and all those anguished pheromones made Levi tremble inside. The outside stayed perfectly still. Mike showed no interest in things which didn't interest Erwin or Nanaba. Nanaba put whiskey in damn near everything, so her beverage of choice was either coffee or more whiskey. Which meant Erwin. Buy why was Erwin suddenly interested in the tea? He never showed a penchant for it before.

"Yes."

When nothing else was forthcoming Levi turned to leave, opting to not risk insulting the significantly larger man and risk loosing mess hall privileges again. Though Mike's body language was very relaxed and not at all territorial, it still set Levi on edge that he chose to park himself so close to something Levi wanted. He did it because Levi wanted it.

Mike followed. "I noticed you make a face every time you drink it. As if you're surprised by how badly it tastes. Why do you drink tea if you don't like it?"

Levi scoffed, "What that woman does is abuse of perfectly good tea leaves. It's a waste." Mike nodded. Levi often went on tangents about how wasteful things on the Surface were. In the Underground you can believe that people learned to do things properly the first time because wasting anything got you smacked, burned, or deported in pieces.

"So... you like tea. Just now how she makes it?"

Mike's attempt at conversation was about as bad as Levi ever attempted. In the back of Levi's mind he

4th month – communication – tea making

5th month – Blade trust and territoriality

6th month - clothes making and reading skills

7th month – Oranges sharing and friends

8th month – Injury and community

9th month – Horndog and obiedience

… and two weeks- inadvertant leadership skills

Next time on: AoT Omegaverse

Naming bets

nesting behavior

terriritoriality of the base, x10

"How can you work in that environment? How do you not set yourself on fire? I sleep in this building. What happens if you shitty experiments catch fire and all that


	6. Chapter 6

Writing Prompts Explanations

1\. Write in a universe you don't normally write in.

"Attack on Titans"

2\. Use a trope you've never written before.

Omegaverse

3\. Avoiding overuse of any language that would give your trope away while still helping the audience to understand what the trope is.

Words that were avoided or downplayed: "Alpha", "Omega", "Dominate", "Submissive", "Pheromone", "Hormones", "Bitch", "Heat", "Breeding", "Pregnant", "Nesting", "Courships", "Bonding", "Bondmate", "Territorial", and a lot of others I can't remember because it's been so long.

4\. Write a type of story you've never written before.

Military

5\. Add a second element you've never written before.

Courtship/Romance

6\. Write about something you've never written about.

Pregnancy, parenting, fathers

7\. Write from the point of view of the most challenging character while staying in-character.

Levi. To make this even more challenging I made him an Alpha, since I firmly disagree that "Humanity's Strongest" can be godmode while being an Omega. Even on suppressants. Artistic license goes a long way towards figuring out how an omega (Erwin) would break in an alpha into a submissive roll.

8\. Write a part of the cannon story not originally show to the audience.

The writer of "Attack on Titan" shows you Levi's backstory, and Levi's current story, but skips the in between. This was my take on how it could have gone down in an omegaverse version of the story where Levi and Erwin are possible love interests, but their positions contradict their biology. I.E. The commander is omega, the subordinate is alpha.

9\. Put a spin on the trope you chose to write.

My spin was to make the Underground were Levi came from have omegas as the dominant caste insomuch as the quality of an alpha is judged by their ability to care for and cater to omegas. When Levi hits the surface omegas and alphas are equals and socially capable of functioning independently of each other. Mind. Blown.

This is a spin in that 99.9% of omegaverse have alphas being abusive dickheads and rapists, with omegas being subhuman victims overrun by biological slavery. I ditched that old hat and put on something new and fresh.

Outline

What's left, at least

4th month – Communication and tea making. Levi learns how to talk to others. At least... how _not_ to talk to others. Erwin takes time to learn how to make tea to Levi's liking.

5th month – Blade trust and territoriality – Erwin and Levi demonstrate a live blade exercise in which Levi shows that he doesn't just know how to use the blades and gear properly, but he knows how to use them beautifully. I honestly forgot what the territoriality was, sorry :)

6th month – Clothes making and reading skills – Erwin has outgrown most of his uniform tops. One day a hand-made shirt appears out of no where, which fits perfectly. While lamenting to Levi about how oranges are going extinct, he notices Levi's shirts are also hand-made. When Erwin gets grounded by the Commander Levi keeps him busy by letting Erwin help him hone his read and writing skills.

7th month – Oranges and friends – After Erwin and Levi go round 7 about food hoarding, sharing, and aggressiveness Levi buys out all of the remaining oranges in the lower ring and gives them all a way. Levi is confused when people think this is him being nice.

8th month – Indury and community – Levi is injured saving a recruit from a nasty fall and hides it. Hanji blabs, but it gets both them and Levi in trouble. Erwin impresses investors with his ability to problem solve. Levi is grounded due to his injury, but Hanji's punishment may be even worse. The base comes together to keep Levi sane till he can get back on the wires again.

9th month – Erwin's increased hormone level have him being very naughty with Levi when no one is looking. Levi plans along at first till he realizes it's very much not a game. Erwin goes into a very difficult labor. Commander Shadis is the first to hold the baby. Levi gives it a name. Things change forever.

...And Two Weeks – Levi refuses to leave his child to the care of strangers and fights the promotion Erwin is pushing on him. The death of a close friend pushes the issue into the lime light and Levi is forced to choose duty and Erwin, or his baby.

Part II

The Story I Didn't Even Begin

5 Years Latter

There's half a storyline here, mostly for the sake of fluff and family, so bear with it:

Erwin's got his promotion to Commander and Levi's settled into his roll as Captain. The kid's being raised in the interior. Levi visits quiet often, but not as often as the kid can run away to come see "Ermy' (Erwin-mommy) at whatever base he's at.

Levi has finally found his grove with the others in the Corpse and even though his alpha instincts still disagree with it all, he has to admit it works in beautiful symmetry. Even if he secretly still thinks omegas are to be cared for and any alpha not doing that is a bad alpha. Being a 'bad alpha' means something where he's from.

On trips to the interior Erwin has made a habit of stopping by the alpha brothels that cater to omegas. Being around Levi affects him, whether he'll let onto it or not. What a lot of people don't know about omegas though is that outside heats they like to top as often as bottom. Erwin makes it his duty to teach some very pleasantly surprised alphas that receiving can sometimes be more pleasurable than giving.

A week before having to leave for another expedition an unexpected financial situation sends Erwin back to the interior for a fundraiser event. Of course he visits his beloved brothels and puts the alphas to work as stress management.

It's two days into the expedition before Levi realizes the reason he's so distracted by Erwin is that their Commander is in the beginning stages of heat. Once he informs Erwin of this fact, the commander (after a bit of panicking wondering if his officer would jump him) tries to put distance between himself and the alphas of the survey corpse.

[A bit of back story here is that while suppressants are available, omegas in the survey corpse don't tend to have heats as the stress of their job, senses of insecurity and instability, and inability to practice routine nesting habits works as a natural suppressant.]

The only unbonded alphas that have reason to be near Erwin are Mike, Nanaba, and Levi. Mike and Nanaba are in a committed relationship, which suppresses their desire to bond with an omega (even one in heat), but Levi grows more and more irritated over being forced into small quarters with an unbonded omega in full heat. Let along one who's fertility he's only too familiar with.

For his part Erwin is having the same troubles keeping his head when Levi is around. It's only through stubbornness to see the expedition through to the end and not waste the lives already lost to Titans that prevents him turning tale and running back to the Wall. Levi, equally hating to waste the opportunities before them, keeps himself in check enough to avoid more than one or two risky one-on-one heavy petting encounters.

It's three more days before they get back to the Wall and another full day of debriefing before Levi finds himself splayed on Erwin's bed with the Commander buried to the hilt inside him. But if Erwin thinks he can avoid being penetrated for the duration of his heat he's kidding himself. Eventually Levi gives up control of the situation and even though he was in full rut, allow Erwin to use him as he saw fit. Seeing this capitulation in an alpha [i.e. that an alpha could give up control if that's what is best for the omega] causes something in Erwin to pry itself loose, and he goes under as his need to be knotted by this alpha in particular takes over.

It's another two months before Levi tells Erwin his scent has changed, which means he's probably pregnant again. Erwin, who'd been too busy with work to pay attention, tunes in and realizes it's true.

This time the pregnancy progresses with much more smoothness than the last. Levi is over being food aggressive, and Erwin is over trying to get Levi not to "alpha" him in his pregnant state. He's seen how much Levi cares for their current child and knows it's a place of deep concern and will to protect those he cherishes. The whole base knows about the pregnancy in advance this time, and seeing how Levi and Erwin both vanished after they got back, it's not a surprise who the dad is.

[The survey corpse has a high turnover rate, obviously, and since the officers don't make it a habit of getting very close to the newcomers still they survive a few expeditions, most of said newcomers don't even know that Levi has a kid, let alone with the Commander. Kid doesn't live on base and as a kindness the officers don't bring it up.]

While not food aggressive Levi does go into food hoarding mode. A result of his time in the Underground where food is scares and starvation contributed to his small size. His pay goes into a stockpile of high-quality food, fresh fruits and vegetables, and other items that are rare since wall Maria fell. All to feed a ravenous Erwin and his growing waistline.

At the four month mark Erwin is just about outgrowing the shirts Levi had made for him during his first pregnancy. Levi takes it upon himself to make more, expending the wardrobe to include things like sleeping clothes, pants, a basic winter jacket, and even simple, fur lined, lace-up boots. Erwin, being a large man to begin with, is almost scary large when pregnant and it's obvious he's going to get significantly bigger than last time. To say the least, even the largest to male omega clothing doesn't fit him by the end of the 5th month. The doctor hears more than one heartbeat.

At 8 months Erwin is put on bed rest and leaves the running of the Corpse to Hanji and Mike. Nanaba is given the temporary status as Captain and part of Levi's duties are shifted to accommodate his self-involvement in Erwin's care. While Erwin himself would rather see Levi being an officer, Levi himself threatens to quite the job altogether if Erwin can't let him be an alpha taking care of the omega he knocked up. Erwin capitulates, secretly delighted that Levi's alpha instincts would choose sense of duty to him over duty to the military.

When Erwin goes into labor it's messy and quick. Levi, overcome with territoriality, growls everyone out of the room and delivers the babies himself. The first two come out easily, the third is a struggle. The doctor came in for the fourth. It's the only one with blonde hair and is stillborn. Levi crawls into Erwin's lap, bawling like a baby, shocked and betrayed that the only one who looks like it's mother died. He couldn't even bare to see what gender it was, afraid of how he'd absolutely loose it if he got too close. Erwin holds him, letting the alpha grieve the loss of their child. Eventually he breaks down himself. That day, Erwin remembered how to cry for those who die too early.

Part III

This is all over the place and random.

Unknown amount of time has passed.

On one of the trips to the capital Erwin is ambushed at drugged by some thugs from the Underground. A long time ago omegas used to be trafficked. In some parts they still are. Erwin escapes but has to flee into the Underground to do so. The drug is meant to bring on a heat which would make bonding with whichever alpha buys them easier.

He's found by some alphas (the 'good' ones) to hear his story and take him to a house of omegas. The omegas give him a safe place in which he can pass the coming heat and not be disturbed. Erwin is perplexed by the way things are done in the underground as alphas usually don't hand over heat-wracked omegas to other omegas. He doesn't tell anyone who he is for fear of some kind of anti-military retaliation.

Eventually Mike sniffs him out, following the trail from the streets he was originally attacked in. Erwin's heat is bad, a negative reaction to the drug, and he'll either need to be drugged with a second substance to knock him out, or take alpha intervention to ease the symptoms. Mike leaves and brings back Levi.

Levi gives zero shits if anyone knows where he works or who he is, and flies in on the wires (my phrase for using the 3DMG, because it takes less finger coordination to hit those keys). At first the omegas are hesitant to let some 'brute from the survey corpse' into the house, especially since the Underground thinks all surface alphas are pigs and assholes, but once Levi lets them know he was raised Underground they relent.

Erwin is eager to take advantage of Levi once he's in the house, but Levi's idea is to avoid getting Erwin pregnant a third time. Specifically because the child that looked like Erwin died last time and it gave Levi a fear-of-god that Erwin would die next time. Levi even uses the wires to move himself into the rafters after Erwin refuses to stop trying to pin him to any surface available and induce a rut.

Some stuff happens with the survey corpse base. Mike has to take over for a bit. Erwin's heat is being persistent and they can't move him, of course. Levi does is beast to keep level headed.

The Underground omegas hit the freaking roof when they find out Erwin has children already and that they don't live with him. Not knowing the context of any of it they assume that Levi left the Underground, took advantage of some poor surface omega, then took their children away to induce more heats, and now they're calling him a 'bad alpha' for not relieving the omega's heat. [Remember, that still means something to Levi.]

At first Levi would stay in the rafters and only come down when Erwin was asleep to make sure he was ok. He'd leave to get food and water, clothes, bedding, etc. Despite obviously looking out and providing for the omega, the Underground citizens wear Levi down with their taunts and comments. Livi can't stand the idea of being a bad alpha to the omega of his children.

Levi makes a deal with Erwin that if Erwin doesn't try to get Levi to knot him he'd come down and allow Erwin to mount him. Hopefully a few rounds of vigorous copulation would break the heat. The matron of the house walks in to find Levi and Erwin going at it. When she comes back latter to see how things are progressing she finds Erwin latched onto one of Levi's scent glands and the alpha out of it in shock. Though the alpha is clearly willing to bond, the omega's unwillingness to bite down and go through with it is appalling.

[A lot of alpah-omaga dynamics, social behaviors, expectations are discussed here. None of which I'll go into in the outline.]

Now it's become apparent to her that things are not nearly as they seem. She takes Levi away from Erwin and accuses him of abducting and using a 'good alpha' for the purpose of his 'damned surface politics' and of taking Levi's children away from him as hostages.

Eventually Erwin's heat does break, though he has to go through the rest of it alone as he's now been labeled as a 'bad omega' by the Underground. They are only too happy to see him leave, and though they try to get a dazed and shut down Levi to stay, he refuses. His children are on the surface, and so are the freedom-barring Titans, so he leaves the Underground shortly after Erwin.

After they get back to the base Levi confronts Erwin and makes him tell the truth. The omega matron from the Underground is exactly right: Erwin did take Levi from his home under threats, and now forces him to remain in the military by threatening to jail him and not see his children. Erwin denies that he'd not allow Levi to see his children, but he does admit that if Levi ever tried to choose between being Humanity's Strongest and a father, that Erwin would do whatever it took to make sure he chose humanity. In Erwin's opinion, defeating the Titans is the only way to ensure his children are safe and will never have to deal with what the citizens of Wall Maria went through when it was destroyed. If he has to force Levi to help him do this then he's willing to. What's one more person's loathing going to do to him anyway? Levi asks Erwin point-blank if there will ever come a day when the two of them can just be a normal set of parents, having kids, being domestic. Erwin says that ever since he was pregnant with their first that it's been the whole focus of his mission. Destroy the Titans means getting not only his children back, but it means he's free to bond as well. Levi now understands exactly where Erwin is coming from.

Part IV

The Ending

Specifically not all over the place.

In one very specific place, in fact.

Unknown time has past.

The Titans have been defeated.

As Erwin and Levi oversee the destruction of the walls only one thing is on their minds.

Erwin and Levi step down from their military positions and turn it over to the survivors. Yes, both of them would dearly love to see things like oceans and deserts and jungles, but they want more than that is to retire as the old men they've become and raise their children.

The new Queen gives Levi his choice of houses from those abandoned with Maria's fell and he chooses the original survey corps base, which was an old castle to begin with.

Erwin and the children move in a week latter and a while lot of angst ensues as the family who'd previously never lived together got to figure out how to live together. While the children did see Erwin and Levi regularly, and they were "Ermy and Dad", they were used to taking orders from the oldest of the lot, who was in every sense their father's spawn.

A month latter Erwin goes into heat again, finally coming down from the nightmares and unwinding from the overload of stress. A slower paced life helps. A newly discovered love of dogs and fishing helps, as does his newly created sanctuary for injured and retired Survey Corpse horses.

This time there is no hesitation when Levi comes to Erwin's room. There's no hesitation in allowing the smaller man to position him, or bite him, or knot him. There's nothing stopping them from bonding now. Nothing standing between their biological imperative to breed. It's the first time that Erwin calls Levi 'alpha', his voice betraying a deep and long-held desire to have done so all along. The result is Levi, in his own way of awkward poetry, letting Erwin know just how beautiful he is and how long he's waiting to tell him so.

Levi hopes the next round of babies will have at least one which looks like Erwin. All their surviving children have Levi's dark hair, with their oldest being an almost carbon replica of her father. Levi gets what he wants when the twins which are born are big, healthy and one is blonde.

That's the last set of children that they have. Afterwords Erwin has complications winch cause him to have to be careful not to get pregnant again. Instead they open the castles other rooms up to war survivors. Levi goes back to being a legitimate version of what he was in the Underground – a jackbooted thug who adopts stray people and only lets them stay if they can keep house to his standard. For his part Erwin finds that despite spending his entire military career fighting the outdated idea that omega are all desperately seeking a home to make, finds he likes the hectic pace of keeping such a large house. It's a nice medium.

A year latter, he and Levi exchange rings in private which were made from melting down pieces of the last blades they used in the last battle against the Titan threat. No one who saw the rings say anything, and if it started a trend amongst military veterans to begin wearing similar rings, well good for them.

The Queen will announce one day that Freedom Day will be celebrated every year to mark the day that not only did humanity become free from the Titan threat, but that alphas and omegas proved they were not slaves to biology either. The survey corpse become the official spearhead into the wild world and a sort of manifest destiny takes hold as humanity rushes out to see what their world has to offer.


End file.
